USA HISTORY

Detailed explanation-1: -Having experienced great losses as a result of German invasions in the First and Second World Wars, Soviet leader Joseph Stalin preferred that a defeated Germany be dismembered and divided so that it could not rise to its former strength to threaten European peace and security again.

Detailed explanation-2: -The goal was to gain control of Eastern Europe and the Balkans; within these regions Soviet ideology would also be promoted. For Stalin, security and regime-building were two sides of the same coin. Stalin hoped he could build an empire without antagonizing the United States, but this would prove impossible.

Detailed explanation-3: -Gorbachev’s decision to allow elections with a multi-party system and create a presidency for the Soviet Union began a slow process of democratization that eventually destabilized Communist control and contributed to the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Detailed explanation-4: -Stalin wanted Germany to stay weak. He was concerned that they might attack the USSR again in the future. He wanted them to pay compensation to the USSR for damage during the war. The USA wanted Germany to stay strong.